Martin K. Plenzler and Minnie Machowiak (updated 05.13.2010)

Martin Plenzler was my my mother’s paternal uncle–he was a brother to her father, John Plenzler. Martin was born October 30, 1880 in Poznan. He, his brother Joseph (Jr), and mother Eva arrived on the ship, Moravia, in the port of New York on May 6, 1884. She departed from Hamburg with her two eldest sons: Marczin (Martin) and Josef (Joseph). Martin was 3 at the time of arrival, his younger brother was just 6 months. (Lines 11, 12, and 13 in the manifest.)

By the 1900 census, the family settled at 1544 Avondale and Martin is indicated as living with his parents and working as a day laborer.

On October 16, 1905, Martin married Michaelina (Minnie) Machowiak in St. Anthony’s church.

Below is a transcription of the marriage record:

Record 7, left page.

Oct. 16, 1905
Plencner, Martin
Machowiak, Michalina
A.J. Suplicki

Note that the last name is misspelled for Martin. Plencner is a common misspelling for Plenzler.

Also note that Record #8 lists Martin’s younger brother, Joseph Plenzler, marrying Stanislawa Machowiak. I have not researched this yet. It is possible that Stanislawa died early and widowed Joseph.

By the 1910 census, Martin and Minnie had moved to 1465 Avondale and had two children: Alphonse and Clemence. By 1920, the family added three more children: Edna, Florence, and Daniel.

Martin and his brother, Casper, were musicians and played in a popular band in the Toledo region. This band, Woodsmen of the World, was captured in a 1920s-era photo in Toledo’s Polonia written by Rev. Richard Philiposki of the Toledo Polish Genealogical Society through Arcadia Publishing, 2009. Excepts of the book can be viewed online, and the photo is located on page 66.

Martin passed away at the age of 66 on April 6, 1947. His obituary published in the Toledo Blade on April 8, 1947 can be viewed through Google News Archives. Below is a transcription of the obituary:

Martin Plenzler

Born In Poland; Toledoan 64 Years

Services for Martin K. Plenzler, 66, of 1465 Avondale Ave., who died Sunday in St. Vincent’s Hospital, will be Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Sujkowski & Son Funeral Home and at 9 a.m. in St. Anthony’s Church. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.

Born in Posen, Poland, he had lived in Toledo 64 years. For 25 years, Mr. Plenzler had been a metal polisher at the DeVilbiss Co. He was affiliated with Woodmen of the World, Pulaski Camp 176, Polish National Alliance, and the Fourteenth Ward Oldtimers Baseball Association.